Izuna, restore the glory of the Uchiha!

Izuna stood up, pushed open the door first, scanned the darkness with his eyes, and after confirming that no one was around, waved behind him.

Tobirama put his hood back on, concealing himself under his wide black robe, and followed silently.

Two figures, one after the other, disappeared into the night and headed toward the laboratory not far away.

Pushing open the heavy iron gate, a unique smell of a brand-new building wafts out.

Tobirama walked around the laboratory, stopping and starting to observe several times.

Although it cannot compare to his private laboratory that he has been running for many years, its layout is logical and its flow is reasonable.

The remaining discarded test strips and lingering alcohol smell from the daytime also prove that this place is ready for high-intensity use at any time.

"good."

Tobirama gave his assessment, then turned around and stared directly at Izuna with his red eyes.

"Now you can tell me, right? You went to so much trouble to protect me, and then you created this mess. What exactly do you want me to do for you?"

Even now, he still doesn't know Izuna's true intentions.

If it's just auxiliary medical technology, the Uchiha clan has no shortage of excellent physicians; but if it involves in-depth research on ninjutsu development or chakra nature transformation...

He believed that Izuna had found the right person.

"I'd like to hear your opinion on the Uchiha clan, since you also possess a bloodline limit."

Izuna leaned against the lab table, not seeming to be in a hurry to deliver the mission, as if he were having a casual chat.

"You brought me here just to hear a few nice words?"

Tobirama raised an eyebrow.

"Outsiders see things more clearly; you should have realized that something's wrong with the Uchiha clan."

In the original work, it was Tobirama Senju who discovered the necessary connection between the awakening of the Sharingan and intense emotional fluctuations by dissecting the corpses of Uchiha clan members.

They deduced the pathological mechanism by which the brain generates special chakra to stimulate the optic nerve, ultimately concluding that "the Uchiha are a clan cursed by love, insane beyond cure."

Izuna saw this as an opportunity. He wanted to entrust the preliminary research for this project to Tobirama again.

Since Tobirama was certain he could obtain the research methods, data, and specific mechanisms, he didn't need to spend much time on those.

As for the countermeasures after the results are released, he will choose to intervene depending on the situation.

"You want me to stay here and study the Uchiha clan?"

Even the usually composed Tobirama was utterly astonished at this moment, even doubting whether he had misheard.

Under Izuna Uchiha's personal instruction, Tobirama Senju was actually going to research the Uchiha clan's bloodline limit in the heart of the Uchiha territory.

If this news gets out, it's likely that not only will Tobirama Senju be accused of blaspheming the dead and face the scorn of the entire ninja world, but he will also be condemned.

Even Izuna himself would instantly become a sinner for betraying his family and selling the secrets of his bloodline.

Or perhaps, a lingering doubt flickered in Tobirama's mind regarding Izuna.

They've dug the hole, are they waiting for me here?

"Or rather, I believe in your abilities."

Izuna avoided the topic.

He did not have the deep-rooted bloodline fastidiousness that most people in his family had.

Under the ethical standards of modern medicine, dissecting donated bodies in order to conquer genetic diseases is not a sin, but rather a respect for and continuation of life.

Moreover, professional matters should be left to professionals.

Having grown accustomed to the sophisticated automated instruments in his previous life's laboratory, he was now at a loss as to where to begin in this rudimentary environment where even centrifuges had to be manually cranked.

As a native of this world, Tobirama possessed top-notch understanding of chakra and experimental methods under rudimentary conditions.

The most efficient approach is to let him initiate the process and drive the progress, while you intervene and guide him at crucial moments.

"Alright, so..."

Tobirama revealed a hint of a mocking smile.

He had searched the entire laboratory but found no place where animal carcasses, about 1.7 meters long and weighing 70 kilograms, were stored.

"Where are your materials? Would you like me to get them for you?"

Izuna calmly took out a sealing scroll from his ninja tool bag.

He hoped that Tobirama's expectations would not be disappointed.

"To avoid suspicion, we need to ensure that the laboratory is exactly the same as when we arrived and when we left, and that we cannot store experimental subjects here."

He laid the scroll flat on the workbench, formed hand seals, covered it with his palms, and chakra surged within.

"Bang!"

With a soft sound and rising white mist, a well-preserved adult male corpse with bluish-gray skin appeared on the cold, hard table.

This clansman died in a fierce battle not long ago. Since he had no relatives, his funeral arrangements were to be made by the clan. Izuna took this opportunity to have his subordinates secretly collect the body and erect a cenotaph for him.

Following his usual practice, Izuna bowed solemnly and silently mourned before lifting the white sheet covering the body.

Tobirama, standing to the side, paused for a moment, then followed suit, bowing slightly to show his respect for the deceased fellow ninja.

After the ceremony, Izuna stepped aside.

"Let's begin. Let me see what you're capable of."

Time slipped away quietly amidst the meticulous operations and hushed discussions.

The moonlight outside the window changed from cool to dim, until it was finally swallowed up by the pale light that appeared in the east.

After a night of intense work, even with their superhuman physical abilities, the two couldn't help but show signs of fatigue.

Izuna glanced at the sky outside the window, where dawn was about to break.

"It's getting late, let's call it a day."

Tobirama nodded and quickly cleaned up the scene.

Before the first ray of sunlight pierced the clouds, two figures silently slipped back into the school building.

As they parted, Izuna took a scroll from his pocket and casually tossed it to Tobirama.

"These are the preliminary data I just recorded. I'll leave the subsequent analysis, organization, and recording to you."

Tobirama instinctively caught the scroll, and looking at Izuna's matter-of-fact expression, a strange unease rose in his heart.

"You trust me that much?"

"certainly."

At this point, Izuna simply tossed over the sealed scroll containing the precious experimental materials as well.

"In the future, the affairs of the clan will be heavy, and I will need to ensure I get enough rest at night. I won't be able to stay up all night with you every day."

Most of the experimental procedures will still require your assistance.

Don't use people with suspicion, don't use people who are suspicious.

He had witnessed firsthand the formidable strength Tobirama displayed tonight.

—This is simply a natural-born scientific research genius, a promising talent for the founding senior brother!

He managed to create a complete workflow from scratch in a rudimentary laboratory that had nothing at all.

Moreover, Izuna's theoretical grasp of experiments is also excellent. Even if Tobirama were to manipulate the data, he was confident he could see through it immediately.

"Keep a good job, Tobirama. I believe in you."

Leaving words of encouragement, Izuna turned and left.

I walked towards the training ground not far away, facing the slightly chilly morning sun.

Rehabilitation training should also be put on the agenda.

The training ground was shrouded in a thin layer of white mist in the early morning. The air was fresh and carried the fragrance of soil and grass.

Silence reigned all around.

Izuna took a deep breath, the cool air filling his lungs and instantly dispelling the weariness of a sleepless night.

From twenty days ago until now, Izuna has clearly felt an increase in his control over his body.

But the clearer this feeling became, the more deeply he felt a lingering fear—just how dangerous was that move that defeated Tobirama?

If he had been even a fraction of a second slower, he might be the one lying inside the sealed scroll right now.

This sense of crisis forced him to prioritize improving his own strength.

Rather than improving his strength, what he needs right now is more about recovery.

Izuna's original foundation was already at the Kage level. Once he fully adapted and awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, combined with the combat instincts honed during the Warring States period, he would be a force to be reckoned with, even if placed in the epic battle of the original manga's finale.

Currently, all he needs to pay attention to is the problem faced by every Uchiha who has reached this stage.

First, there's the enormous side effect of the Mangekyou Sharingan. Activating it severely depletes ocular power, and long-term use can lead to irreversible blindness.

The original work already provides a solution to this problem: transplanting Hashirama cells or fusing the Mangekyou Sharingan of a blood relative.

"Looks like I'll have to find an opportunity to ask Hashirama for some cells..."

Izuna stroked his chin, secretly making plans.

As for the second question, Izuna has already begun to take action.

It was the Uchiha's seemingly uncontrollable obsession and madness.

Whether from a subjective emotional perspective or from an objective standpoint, Izuna was unwilling to transform himself into the kind of man who would tear off his clothes and laugh maniacally at the slightest provocation and destroy the world.

Good morning, Lord Izuna!

The passing patrol officers bowed and greeted him respectfully.

"morning."

Izuna stopped what he was doing and returned a polite smile.

If the blemishes become irreversibly etched into that state, there's nothing that can be done.

He still needs to maintain his rationality and uphold basic dignity.